"We updated the previous version to create a more seamless experience for our consumers," company spokeswoman Megan Saalfeld said in an email. "After doing a lot of research and listening to the consumer we sought to create a platform that was faster, easier to navigate and that ultimately better served our consumers from both a brand and commerce perspective."

Direct to consumer sales largely cut out the middle players so that Nike is able to retain more money for the company.

While wholesale revenues remain the largest component of overall Nike revenue in the $24 billion-a-year company, direct-to-consumer revenue continues to grow.

Direct-to-consumer revenue grew 23 percent, from about $2.9 billion in 2011 to about $3.5 billion in 2012. It was slightly less than $2.5 billion in 2010.

Jeanne Jackson, a former chief executive of walmart.com and of Gap, Inc., has been Nike's direct-to-consumer president since 2009, when she resigned from the Nike board for the executive position.